Publication Date:
2017-10-13
Description:
The selective oxidation of methane, the primary component of natural gas, remains an important challenge in catalysis. We used colloidal gold-palladium nanoparticles, rather than the same nanoparticles supported on titanium oxide, to oxidize methane to methanol with high selectivity (92%) in aqueous solution at mild temperatures. Then, using isotopically labeled oxygen (O 2 ) as an oxidant in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) , we demonstrated that the resulting methanol incorporated a substantial fraction (70%) of gas-phase O 2 . More oxygenated products were formed than the amount of H 2 O 2 consumed, suggesting that the controlled breakdown of H 2 O 2 activates methane, which subsequently incorporates molecular oxygen through a radical process. If a source of methyl radicals can be established, then the selective oxidation of methane to methanol using molecular oxygen is possible.
Keywords:
Chemistry
Print ISSN:
0036-8075
Electronic ISSN:
1095-9203
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Geosciences
,
Computer Science
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
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